The present invention relates to a suction nozzle assembly for a household vacuum cleaner.
There is known a generally T-shaped nozzle assembly for a household vacuum cleaner which comprises a generally rectangular flattened box-like housing, occupying the position of a transverse bar of the shape of a figure "T", and a suction spout occupying the position of a vertical bar of the shape of the figure "T". The housing has a suction channel defined at the bottom thereof so as to extend over the length thereof and is adapted to be moved over the surface to be cleaned with the suction channel opening towards such surface. The spout is used to communicate the suction channel to a source of vacuum which may be either a wheeled canister or a vacuum valve and is of a generally T-shaped construction including a transverse barrel and a coupling stem protruding perpendicularly from an intermediate portion of the transverse barrel for fluid-connection with the vacuum source.
The transverse barrel is so journalled at its opposite ends to the housing so as to permit the housing to be tiltable about the longitudinal axis thereof relative to the coupling stem. The suction channel at the bottom of the housing is channeled to the vacuum source through the transverse barrel, then through the suction spout, and finally through an extension tubing including, for example, a wand or tubular handle connected to the coupling stem.
The nozzle assembly also comprises a pair of elongated brushes built therein so as to extend generally parallel to, and on respective sides of, the suction channel, which brushes are so adjustably carried by the housing that the spacing between the bottom of the housing and the surface to be cleaned can be adjusted to apply an efficient cleaning action to the surface to be cleaned. In general, the paired brushes are permitted to protrude to a smaller brush height when a carpet is desired to be cleaned, and to a greater brush height when a floor is desired to be cleaned.
The nozzle assembly of the above described construction is convenient in that, since the housing and the spout are relatively tiltably connected together, the plane of opening of the suction channel can be kept substantially parallel to the surface to be cleaned even though the angle of inclination of the tubular handle changes relative to such surface during repeated forward and backward movement of the nozzle assembly and/or as a result of changes in posture of the operator running the vacuum cleaner. However, when in the course of cleaning to remove relatively large dirt particles, such as debris or like solids, from the surface to be cleaned, the nozzle assembly is lifted to a position over the debris or like solids to cause them to be effectively sucked through the suction channel, the nozzle assembly is apt to be unnecessarily tilted downwards with the suction channel consequently turning aside from above the debris or like solids, making it difficult for the operator to place the nozzle assembly over them.
In addition, although there will be no problem when and so long as the paired brushes are adjusted to a small height position at which the brushes protrude a small distance outwardly from the bottom of the housing, the adjustment of the brushes to a great height position at which they protrude a great distance outwardly from the bottom of the housing poses a problem in that, since the nozzle assembly itself is supported by the brushes above the surface to be cleaned, the nozzle assembly during its movement along the surface to be cleaned tends to lack stability and often undergoes a jolting motion with the brushes buckling back and forth.